Technoloy Thoughts

We are one of those "weird" families that don't have cable. It nearly three years ago when Tim and I took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace. The cable bill kept creeping up and up. Tim told me he would rather starve than lose cable. I, having a two year old toddler, never had time for it anyway and the noise of TV in the evenings after a long day at work and a active toddler was sensory overload. I would be annoyed more than anything to walk in the door to a blaring TV. For some reason it sets me off. However, not wanting Tim to starve I just shut up and prayed. Prayed I would learn to not be so crazy. Literally, I had thoughts of taking a baseball bat to that thing Office Space style. Or prayed Tim would come around to my way that the cable was WAY too expensive and unnecessary. He agreed to down size which involved a drive to the cable office. He went to the cable office and came home that evening announcing we are canceling our cable. I remember exactly where I was in the kitchen cooking dinner. I couldn't believe it. He had decided when trying to downgrade, even the downgraded version was outlandish for the goals we were financially trying to achieve. So away went cable. It was an adjustment. No more Bravo, HGTV, or Food Network for me, not that I had tons of time anyway to watch. He missed USA, TBS and ESPN. Sports is still one of the harder things we gave up. OSU isn't always on the free local channels. Right before we moved. I got Tim basic cable for a present. We had achieved our financial goals and I knew he loved himself some TV. However, when we moved our "country home" (that is not country at all we live in the city, but for some reason our neighborhood doesn't exist) the cable company could not get us service. We looked into satellite and such but could not justify the price. With Netflix, Hulu, and free TV there is really no reason for us to have anything but internet. During the week we turn our TV on rarely. Some evenings we allow Addy to watch 15-20 minutes before bed to wind down. However, this seems to occur less and less these recent days. Tim and I watch 30 min to an hour most evenings. Currently we are watching The Wonder Years on Netflix. Oh this show makes me long for simpler times. On the weekend especially since football has started the TV is on much more. And I admit that we use the iPad as a babysitter during the weekend so Tim and I can get chores done or on Sunday afternoon when Lilah is napping and Tim and I want to take a quick nap. Both of my children are vastly different when it comes to screens. Lilah has never been entertained. Addy is Tim made over in this department. She would watch it all day if allowed. Sometimes we get in ruts where she asks for our phone in the car, grabs the iPad as soon as she gets home, or watches TV the whole weekend. When I originally thought up this post subject (a month ago) this seemed to be the norm. Tim was super busy figuring out back to school, football, and finishing the kitchen. I was working more  and had the stresses of deadlines that leave you tired, edgy and drained when you get home. We easily gave in and I was thinking oh no we have ruined her. However, as school and football are now on a schedule, my work load has lighted up, and I have consciously made evenings outside fun or art time (that girl likes to color like no buddies business) I have noticed that mind sucker isn't turned on as much. So what started out as a post topic of help I am ruining my child, what is the right amount of screen time? Turned into a lesson in understanding seasons and learning to ride them out with a little parenting grace. Man this parenting gig is hard.